Cornelius KEOHANE

KEOHANE Cornelius J. "Con" Keohane passed away peacefully in the company of loved ones at the Red Deer Nursing Home on November 14, 2007. Con was born on August 1, 1919 in County Cork, Ireland. In 1924, he immigrated to Canada with his parents and two sisters and gained a love of the prairies, growing up on a farm near Virden, Manitoba. He also learned that he didn't want to be a farmer and decided to join the RCMP. That choice turned out to be a perfect fit for his personality and abilities. His early assignments included guarding The Citadel in Quebec City during a WWII meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill. In 1943 he was posted to Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, where he met Maxine Stockdale. They were married on May 15, 1946. Con was next stationed in Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, where he and Maxine welcomed the birth of their daughter, Pat, in 1950. Their next stop was a brief one in Maidstone, Saskatchewan and in 1955, they moved to Unity, Saskatchewan, where Maxine was delighted to finally have running water at the detachment house. Everywhere they went, Con and Maxine were well-liked and respected and were gifted with many wonderful, lifelong friends. In 1960, Con was transferred to Whitehorse, Yukon where he, Maxine and Pat were thrilled to welcome Mike into the family in 1961. Con quickly rose through the ranks from Corporal to Sergeant and eventually to Staff Sergeant when he was transferred to G Division headquarters in Ottawa in 1962. Con and Maxine found that they were not meant to be "city folks" and in 1964, after 25 years of service, Con took his pension and the family returned to Unity, Saskatchewan. Con's second career was as a businessman handling insurance and tax preparation, first in a partnership and later out of his own office. In 1978, he sold the business and went to work at the Hepting Law Office until his retirement in 1984. However, the term "retirement" is not entirely accurate as Con remained active in the community, serving on various boards and eventually serving as mayor from 1985 to 1991. Con often lamented that, with all the things he and the council accomplished, he is best remembered for getting rid of the parking meters on Main Street! In March of 1992, Maxine, Con's beloved wife of 46 years, passed away. Con missed her terribly and eventually decided to try for a fresh start in Camrose, Alberta. Con didn't spend long in Camrose but during that time, became better acquainted with Madonna Kearns, who often stopped in Camrose on the way to visit her son and his family in Morinville. They started to talk about getting married but wanted first to be sure that their children approved! Pat, Mike, Gary and families were, of course, delighted that Con and Madonna would no longer be lonely after losing their first spouses. Con and Madonna were married in the presence of their families on October 7, 1995. They decided to move to Red Deer, where they would be within reasonable travelling distance of their children and grandchildren. Not long after his 80th birthday in 1999, Con's mind started to fade, which was a great frustration for him as he was a highly intelligent man and always prided himself on his good memory. As Con's dementia worsened, Madonna lovingly took on the role of caregiver. In November 2006, it became clear that Con needed care beyond what could be provided in his home and he moved into the Red Deer Nursing Home. Madonna visited him almost daily and up until very recently still took him out to church, back to their apartment and to visit his friends for coffee at The Mall. Friends and family were very sad to see his decline but, mercifully, Con still recognized his loved ones until a few days before his death. Con will be greatly missed by his loving wife, Madonna, his daughter Pat (Bill) Pope, his son Mike (Joyce) Keohane, his stepson, Gary (Ardis) Kearns, his grandchildren/step-grandchildren, Shannon (Warren) Whitmore, Sean Pope, Laura Pope, Heather Keohane, Erin Fulton, Paige Fulton, Kallyn Kearns and Keenan Kearns, his brother-in-law Bill (June) Stockdale and his nieces and nephew, Kathy, Barb and John and their families. He will also be missed by the staff at the Red Deer Nursing Home where he had become a favorite of the nurses who said he was "always a real gentleman". Needless to say, he will be dearly missed and fondly remembered by his many lifelong friends, especially those in Unity and Red Deer. A prayer service was held for Con at the Eventide Funeral Home in Red Deer on November 17, 2007, with Father Paul Kavanagh presiding. A funeral mass was held in Unity, Saskatchewan on November 19, 2007, with Farther Gerard Cooper presiding. Con was buried next to Maxine in the Pleasant View Cemetery, Unity Saskatchewan. Honour guards were provided by the RCMP Vets Association. Honourary pallbearers were his very special Unity friends, Hal and Betty Hepting, Gladys Kelly, Roy and Marie Greenwald, Iris Merk and John Coid. Active pallbearers were Brent Hepting, Ivan Wright, Patrick Kelly, Doyle Kelly, Greg Greenwald and Harold Greenwald. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to The Alzheimer's Society or the RCMP Veterans’ Association. Arrangements were handled jointly by the Eventide Funeral Chapels in Red Deer and Glassford’s Funeral Home in Unity.